Every Man Will Do His Duty presents some of the voices of the
seamen who fought and lived at sea during the French Revolutionary War
(1793-1802), The Napoleonic War (1803-1815) and the War of 1812 (1812-1815).
The Peace of Amiens beginning on 25 March, 1802 provides a brief period of
peace in the midst of 23 years of war.

The 22 chapters provide first-hand, detailed accounts of life below and
above decks in the ships that sailed the worlds oceans in the glory days of
sail warfare between 1793 and 1815. Following the events of this time period
Britannia really did rule the waves.

The title of this book is a paraphrase of Nelsons famous signal going
into the Battle of Trafalgar. This is explained in a short paragraph in the
introduction. However, the full context for the signal and the story of
Nelsons death is described in a chapter titled The Death of Lord Nelson by
Surgeon William Beatty. A different perspective of the same battle is
provided in Battle of Trafalgar by William Robinson.

The introduction provides two maps that are well drawn and layout where
the accounts within the book occur. This is particularly helpful if you are
interested in material dealing with a particular ocean or battle. When a
specific battle is described maps of the battle formations between ships are
provided, often at different times of the day showing the changes that
occurred.

The accounts in this book make for exciting reading. They are often very
vivid especially if the original writer had kept a diary. If you have a
sailor during this time period, or want more background information, then
these first-hand accounts are well worth reading.